students can afford to purchase one of these costly books which is published by foreign publishers. Even persuading university libraries, whose budgets are under constant pressure, to purchase more than one or two copies is difficult and an inadequate solution in a time of expanding student numbers. Better then to reserve these texts for the reference purpose for which they are best suited and to introduce students to the subject in a gentler way. In discussion with many of our colleagues at this and other universities, it was clear that most felt there was a place for a text which would cover the current emphasis and concerns of molecular biology. In these conversations, there was no doubt as to what was required. The need of a good text book of molecular biology was eminent from every angle. Cliché it may be, but there are genuinely too many people to acknowledge for the creation of this book to make it possible to do this individually. It will have to suffice for me to thank all my colleagues and elsewhere for helpful discussions. A special thanks to Indranil Choudhuri who is also a student of mine to help us for the illustrations in the book.

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